Student: A&M counselor advised me to fail classes

Former student sues A&M over gradesShe contends in federal court that she was advised to fail

MATTHEW WATKINS, The Eagle (Bryan, Texas)

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, October 7, 2009

A student who transferred from Texas A&M is suing her former university, saying an academic counselor recommended that she intentionally fail three classes.

The classes were taken in the fall of 2007, the first semester of her freshman year, according to the suit, and the student approached the counselor because she was having trouble understanding her professors.

The student, Jennifer Temple, wanted to leave the classes in a classification known as "Q-drop," but she contends in her suit that the adviser told her that she would lose her parents' health benefits if she did.

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Students are given a limited number of "Q-drops," which allow them to drop a class from their schedule within the first 50 days of classes.

The counselor, Sofie Fuentes, told Temple that she should fail the classes because of an A&M rule allowing freshmen to exclude as many as three grades of "D," "F" or "U" (unsatisfactory) from their transcripts, the suit alleges.

“Having no reason to doubt Ms. Fuentes' guidance, (Temple) quit attending classes, as advised, so that she would be eligible to exercise the grade exclusion policy,” the suit says.

Temple wasn't told that other schools might not accept the grade exclusions when reviewing her transcript, her suit says. She attempted to transfer to the University of Texas and was rejected “because of the two 'F's' and one 'D' on her grade performance ratio,” the suit states.

She is currently a student at Texas State University and still hopes to transfer to the University of Texas and study interior design, said her attorney, Gaines West.

“What is truly tragic about this case is that I have given the A&M administrators plenty of opportunity to correct their errors and do the right thing for my client,” West said. “Instead, they have stubbornly insisted they have done nothing wrong.”

A&M officials declined to comment for this story, citing policy that prohibits them from discussing pending legal matters. Fuentes couldn't be reached for comment. She was no longer listed as an employee of A&M in the university's online directory, and a university spokesman said he couldn't confirm whether she still worked for the school.

The suit was filed in federal court on Monday, and A&M has not filed a response.

West said his client filed the suit because she wanted an opportunity to present her case and have her transcript changed.

“She also wants her legal fees paid for, and hopefully a change in the policy here at A&M to be sure other students aren't put to the same test of having to make a (decision) that is uninformed,” he said.